Join me for a walk through the community with Safer Roads Ottawa to explore walkability and pedestrian safety in the Manor Park area. This will be the first in a series of Ward Walks I plan to lead over the course of my term.

COMMITTEE, COUNCIL & COMMUNITY ISSUE UPDATES

TRANSITWAY CLOSURES

The next phase of Transitway closures from Blair Station to Hurdman Station will begin on June 28, 2015, bringing us one step closer to Light Rail Transit in Ottawa! For the majority of transit riders (84 percent) there will be no change to service as a result of these closures. However, some users can expect changes to both their transfer locations and travel times. Fourteen percent of riders will have a longer trip by up to seven minutes, one percent will have a travel time increase of eight minutes or more, and one percent will have a trip that’s one minute faster. I have outlined these changes in greater detail on my blog, and OC Transpo will be providing continuous updates on its website.

BEECHWOOD DEVELOPMENTS

It’s an exciting time to walk down Beechwood Avenue, with lots of construction and change making our community a bustling place.

MINTO BEECHWOOD

By September, construction on Minto Beechwood should commence. Work on the above-ground portion of the building should begin by the end of 2015 and move-in dates are anticipated for fall 2016. Minto is still in talks with potential retail tenants for the ground floor and the company is expected to announce the names this fall. Minto will be appointing a site supervisor with whom my office will be in touch if there are any issues with the construction.

CLARIDGE HOMES

Claridge recently resubmitted updated plans to the city’s planning department for its proposed condo and retail building at 89-99 Beechwood Ave. Planning staff are reviewing the new documents, which are available for public review if you are interested in looking at them here. I encourage you to send your comments to the email address noted in the link.

CYCLIST AND PEDESTRIAN WAYFINDING IN OVERBROOK

New connections in Overbrook are making it safer and more convenient to get around on foot or by bike. The new pedestrian and cycling bridge has opened up access to the train station, Transitway and future Light Rail Transit. Construction on Coventry Road is creating new cycling facilities and access points that will make it easier to get to the bridge. Cycling lanes and multi-use paths will provide dedicated space for cyclists on Coventry Road from St. Laurent Boulevard to Lola Street. Cyclists traveling to the new Coventry Bridge from Overbrook will use the Lola intersection to cross Coventry and continue west towards the baseball stadium. I am in discussions with staff to look at the possibility of opening the fenced-off eastern stadium delivery driveway for cyclists to facilitate better access to the bridge.

DONALD-SOMERSET PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE

You’ve probably noticed work is continuing on the Donald-Somerset bridge. Although the bridge is not scheduled to be opened until 2016, there is a sliver of hope for an earlier opening at the end of this year if the weather and project management gods cooperate.

ROCKCLIFFE PARK ROAD CLOSURES

Some of last year's road reconstruction projects in Rockcliffe Park will continue with final work this spring before additional roads are rebuilt this summer. As a result, the following roads will be closed:

Mariposa Avenue from Glenwood Avenue to Roxborough Avenue: closed until May 29

Cloverdale Road from Fairview Avenue to Mariposa Avenue: closed until May 29

Fairview Avenue from Cloverdale Road to Sylvan Avenue: closed May 11 to June 12

FUTURE OF TRANSPORTATION ON BEECHWOOD

Reinforcing Beechwood as a commercially vibrant area and dynamic main street is a major priority for me, and supporting safe and active transportation options for people to get to Beechwood is a critical part of that effort. With that in mind, Councillor Fleury and I will be hosting a public meeting in early June to talk about options for the Beechwood transportation corridor given the challenges of fitting buses, people, bikes and cars through a challenging space with physical limitations. I will send an invitation to participate when a date and place has been confirmed.

REFLECTION:

I took a short holiday last weekend to the U.K. to run the London Marathon. It was a great experience, with over 750,000 Londoners lining the course and cheering on the over 30,000 runners who collectively raised over $100 million for charity. Viewing London through the lens of my new job, I couldn’t help but notice the things it does so well: appropriate density, great public transportation, support for vibrant arts and culture, and respect for heritage mixed with impressive modern architecture. There’s no shame in “stealing” good ideas from other capital cities and being ambitious in our vision for what kind of city Ottawa can be. Even if London has some historical, economic and size advantages, it’s great to take positive lessons from other great cities around the world.

Have you seen something you like in your travels that you’d like to see in Ottawa? Tell me about it by email. With your permission, we’ll feature some of your ideas and inspirations on our website.

COMMUNITY UPDATES

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

Kick off Emergency Preparedness Week with the New Edinburgh Community Association’s Emergency Preparedness Day at the Stanley Park Fieldhouse, May 3 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

OVERBROOK COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION GARAGE SALE AND COMMUNITY CLEAN-UP

Overbrook Community Association hosts a fundraising garage sale and clean-up on May 9 at the Overbrook Community Centre, 33 Quill St. Come for 9:45 a.m. and enjoy refreshments before rolling up your sleeves to clean. Stay and donate your unwanted items to benefit the community association’s work and reduce your contribution to the landfill. Details can be found here.

PLAY BALL!

The Ottawa Champions kick off their inaugural season on May 22. The team will play 55 home games over the course of the summer. To get your tickets, go to their website or call 613-745-BALL.

YOUTH PROGRAMMING

Carson Community House provides weekly programming for children and youth. You can see the schedule for after-school programming, homework clubs and sports here.

ROCKCLIFFE YARD AND TREASURE SALE

June 6 (with a rain date of June 7) will see the first ever Rockcliffe Yard and Treasure Sale in support of the Rockcliffe Rink Project. The event will be held at the back field of the Rockcliffe Park Public School and future site of the proposed chilled rink and field house. Want to set up a table? Simply email RockcliffeYardSale@gmail.com (organizers will be asking for a small, non-obligatory donation from the sellers to the Rink Project). Want to donate your items (big and small) to the cause? Again, simply email RockcliffeYardSale@gmail.com to arrange a pickup. The event will include a beer tent, food trucks and other planned surprises.

For Your InformationPour votre information

CSST Construction Schedule

The CSST (Combined Sewage Storage Tunnel) project has been underway since March 2017, with work occurring in two locations in New Edinburgh: within Stanley Park (Sites 5A and 5B) and at the intersection of Queen Victoria and River Lane (Site 5C). An updated project schedule is posted every few weeks to help residents get a sense of what's in store.

Policy Options magazine published an article I wrote entitled “The Five I’s of Failed Urban Planning”. In it, I summarize the reasons for urban planning failure in five major themes: influence, inertia, illiteracy, inconsistency and interference. The article covers both the key reasons for urban planning failure and my suggested solutions for fixing them, building on my presentation at the 2016 Annual Conference of the Canadian Institution of Planners.